A Few Things About Setting Someone Free

Fujimiya quickly came to terms with it. As a college student, she naturally understood the relationship between "ability and influence." Someone like Iori, with extraordinary abilities, could change someone's life with a single unintentional act, without even realizing it himself... Fujimiya felt that she lacked the perspective to speculate about such a person.

—Of course, an uncle is different.

Incidentally, although he can also use world-destroying True Magic, Fujimiya doesn't know why he feels that his uncle's oppressive aura is not as strong as that of the always smiling Iori!

"Who knows? But I'm sure Iori isn't after that artifact. His own healing abilities are already comparable to the Snake Staff."

Later, they even gave me the staff as a gift for learning True Magic.

"True Magic?" Jingwen raised his face, but his words carried a sense of nonchalance, as if he felt that whatever Iori knew was not surprising.

"Mr. Iori is really eager to learn... After all, it's him, he probably only needs a short time to learn it."

Five days.

"What?"

"He learned all the advanced elemental True Magic in just five days."

"What—" Jingwen was startled. "Even if someone is a genius, this is too much..."

"Ah, you're mistaken. He didn't learn these things solely through his talent; he also used some auxiliary methods."

Yosuke explained to the two of them, "He has a special move called 'Plunder,' which allows him to temporarily steal other people's skills and equipment and use them skillfully, just like controlling a character that someone else has already trained in a game."

They used the same tactic to seize ownership of the lord's Snake Staff back then.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

Jingwen looked on with envy. "In a light novel, this is the kind of ability that only the main character or the villainous boss would have!"

"It's not about Plunder forever, it's just temporary use, and there are some restrictions... In short, he can use this skill to directly experience the skills that others have honed to perfection."

Although the relevant knowledge will disappear after the battle, the experience accumulated during the trial period undoubtedly belongs to him.

To give an analogy, it's like watching Teuchi an FPS (first-person shooter) game from a first-person perspective.

Most people can neither see clearly what's happening nor glean anything from this chaotic flow of information, but Iori is a very special player. She can accurately remember every technique, master it, and ultimately reproduce it in her own way.

"This is blatant cheating!"

Doesn't that mean he can master all the skills quickly if he wants to? Achieve in a few days what others take decades to accomplish?!

"Theoretically, that's true. Those personal or self-created skills are extremely difficult, and Iori also needs to put in a lot of hard work."

For example, the Elf maiden's storage True Magic is a secret technique of the Elf royalty. Iori even tested it out with the Elf maiden.

But conventional True Magic... was indeed mastered in just a few days.

Yosuke pointed to himself. "Speaking of which, the inspiration he came up with for the use of 'Plunder' came from a casual conversation I had with him... Perhaps in return for that, he gave me the Snake Staff."

After all, holy True Magic and ordinary True Magic are not the same system, and I am not good at it. I often get injured and don't know what to do.

Since acquiring the Snake Staff, I've been able to heal myself in battle, I'm immune to all negative status effects, and I've gained the ability to conquer all dungeons on my own. It was from that time that Iori and I separated, our journeys shifting from traveling together to adventuring alone.

"A magical artifact is given away just like that..."

"Why does it feel like the other person is deliberately trying to get rid of my uncle... or is it just my imagination?"

"You can't just take things from people for no reason!"

The uncle said with a righteous expression, "You two must remember this: This is life experience I'm sharing with you as your senior."

In social interactions, no matter how good the relationship is, even if it's with close brothers or spouses, one cannot accept others' kindness without reciprocating.

If others respect and care for you, you should reciprocate in a way that is considered decent and polite!

This applies to friends, brothers, spouses, and even parents and children.

Therefore, immediately after accepting the Snake Staff, I reciprocated with a gift, which, although not very practical, was quite valuable.

"Wow... how should I put it, my uncle actually said something so reasonable, it doesn't feel like the person I used to know." Fujimiya chuckled, and Jingwen couldn't help but smile as well.

Yosuke said smugly, "No matter what, I am your elder, and I have more life experience than you."

"Okay, we'll remember that!"

"By the way, Uncle, what did you give me? Was it also a magical artifact?"

"No, Iori doesn't lack combat equipment, so..."

This is one of only seven rings in the world made of Star Stone, and it is extremely valuable, but it is nothing compared to our friendship. I hope you will accept it with gratitude...

Remember, this symbolizes our unchanging friendship.

[...ah?]

"Uncle, what are you doing?!"

Jingwen stared at the light screen and completely broke down, yelling, "Why is it a ring?!"

And since they just stretched out their hand with a completely bewildered look, why didn't they place it in their palm but instead just put it on them directly?

"Huh? But with rings, shouldn't you try them on to see if they fit?" Uncle scratched his head. "Of course I know the special meaning of rings, but we're men, so of course we don't need to worry about anything."

"It's precisely because we're all men that... Uncle, you really should go see a doctor..."

"Killing intent... it's undoubtedly killing intent!"

Fujimiya's forehead was covered in black lines. "That Mr. Iori... the Aizen Mr. Iori... actually showed such a terrifying expression."

"Incredible... to endure this is truly remarkable! As expected of Your Excellency Aizen!"

"I finally understand why Mr. Iori and my uncle separated... or rather, it must have been really tough on him."

"Huh? What are you all talking about? I don't understand."

"Uncle, you really are..."

"Jingwen! Jingwen, look! The screen is moving again, it's... um!"

Jingwen and Fujimiya froze simultaneously, each putting their hands to their foreheads, their entire bodies enveloped in shadow.

"Uncle, you really are..."

——

From the bushes, the Elf maiden was spying on the two's camp from dozens of meters away;

In the Royal Capital, Appraiser Miss someone's actions through a crystal ball;

Two pairs of beautiful eyes, each seemingly forgetting how to blink, watched as Yosuke Isashizaki gently placed an expensive gemstone ring onto the dazed finger of Iori—

"???"

"???"

Sodom was destroyed because of this—at that moment they understood the feelings of a certain god.

Chapter 263: A Few Things About Releasing Animals (4K)

The time was after the battle against the Magic Poison Dragon. When Iori was having a "friendly exchange" with the lord, she tried out the effect of "Usurper" and found that not only could she take the Snake Staff into her own hands, but she could also successfully cast holy True Magic that she couldn't use before.

It seems that this move can not only physically seize weapons, but also affect things like "usage permissions" and break through certain binding conditions.

Thus, Iori smoothly became the new owner of the Snake Staff, while the lord, having lost his greatest support, faced pressure from all sides, and it seemed that even his noble status would be difficult to retain.

However, that had nothing to do with Iori; he had no interest in toying with such insignificant people.

This Snake Staff, if left to a lord, would only become an exclusive item for the nobility. Furthermore, the lord refused to offer assistance when the elves challenged the Magic Poison Dragon, clearly betraying the First healer's heart of saving lives and helping the world. Therefore, the lord is no longer qualified to possess this staff.

On the other hand, Iori does not have the ambition to heal the sick and save lives. Although he does not mind benefiting the public, it would consume too much time and energy, and from a practical point of view, it is not in Iori's interest.

So he only kept the Snake Staff temporarily. After studying it for a few days and confirming that it was not of much use to him, he gave it to Yosuke Isashizaki.

Yosuke can communicate with "celestial spirits," and theoretically, he can borrow True Magic power indefinitely. Don't let his seemingly nerdy gaming obsession fool you; he's actually at the pinnacle of combat power in this New World. His only weakness is holy True Magic —its working principle differs from regular True Magic.

With the Snake Staff by his side, he had become an all-around paladin who could tank, fight, and heal himself, capable of embarking on adventures alone without a team. The reason Iori gave him this artifact was precisely to provide Yosuke with a guarantee, so that problems wouldn't arise when Iori wasn't around.

—Yes, Iori has decided to "break up" with Yosuke!

"Huh? We... we're going to part ways?"

In the hotel room, Yosuke was shocked upon hearing Iori's decision. "Why? Weren't we on good terms? Did I do something wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong, don't panic, it's not like it's goodbye forever," Iori said with a smile. "It's just for the sake of exploration efficiency."

"Efficiency?"

"Yes, this world has a vast territory and a long history. I believe that deep within those labyrinths, large and small, and behind those legendary hero stories, there must be secrets hidden by gods and teleporters."

Although we didn't find any information left by the First in the Snake Staff we obtained this time, we at least verified two facts:

First, the stories of those transmigrators are not false. They may be exaggerated, but they did exist in history. The goddess did not lie. We are not the only transmigrators. This phenomenon of time travel has always existed.

Given the sheer number of people, there must also be others like you who yearn to return home. They may have succeeded or failed, but the information they gathered throughout their lives is invaluable to us.

Second, there is no reproductive isolation between the transmigrators and the people from the New World. They have descendants who have reproduced to this day. If we are lucky, we might be able to inherit the legacy of our predecessors.

Not to mention stories like the 'Trial of the Three Shrines'... As long as we keep searching one by one, we'll surely find our way home."

"That's right!"

Yosuke exclaimed excitedly, "I have no doubt about this! In that case... Iori you?"

"What I mean is that we explore separately, each gather intelligence, and then share it with each other. This is more efficient."

We didn't do this before because we weren't capable of Independent Action, but now that we have the Snake Staff, our safety is guaranteed, and we can adopt bolder strategies.

"Oh, I see!" Yosuke exclaimed in sudden realization.

Iori's assessment of his remarks was not a denigration, but rather an objective fact, a point Yosuke himself acknowledged.

Although his True Magic power is terrifyingly strong, his physical abilities are no different from those of a typical otaku. He's the type who can exhaust himself during university physical fitness tests, which has led to his extreme imbalance in academic performance.

Most of the time, he can cover up his weaknesses with a wide variety of True Magic. As long as he is in a clear mind, he is flawless. However, he is the kind of person who can't sense anything once he falls asleep. He can't wake up even if the sky falls or the earth cracks. Therefore, he is easily attacked while he is sleeping. To be honest, he is not suitable for the profession of adventurer, which involves living a life of hardship all day long.

Iori was worried that he would die out there, which is why they always maintained a team.

Things are different now! The Snake Staff is a rare and invaluable treasure for saving your life!

"Can I really use it? I didn't defeat the Magic Poison Dragon, will the Snake Staff really recognize my abilities?"

The will of the First wielder influenced the conditions for using the Snake Staff. Even if one is not a descendant of the First, one can still use the Snake Staff as long as the Magic Poison Dragon is defeated.

Iori was able to wield the divine Snake Staff despite bloodline limitations because she had assisted the Elf maiden in defeating the demonic dragon, and also because of the "Usurper" effect.

Otherwise, even if we could seize ownership of the Snake Staff, we could probably only utilize about 40% of its power.

This is probably the limitation of "Usurper":

You can steal equipment and change ownership, but special equipment requires certain conditions to be met for it to be perfectly compatible.

"No problem, I will transfer the Snake Staff to you. Although it is unlikely that you can use the ultimate techniques, ordinary blessing and healing True Magic is still very easy."

Iori continued, "You should search for clues about the transmigrators, which would be a good opportunity to use the Snake Staff to help those suffering from illness, just like the First... This would be far more meaningful than keeping it in the lord's storehouse."

"That sounds great! Iori, you're so thoughtful. I've never thought of a similar issue before... Yes, this is the only way to make the Snake Staff truly useful, so that we and the people can both benefit!"

After hearing this, Yosuke Isashizaki's respect for Iori deepened even further, almost to the point of worship.

Ordinary people would never consider so many things. After obtaining the Snake Staff, they would think about how to create value for themselves instead of using it to benefit the people... Iori treated the priceless artifact as nothing, giving it away without a second thought, without caring about his own gains or losses.

Such a broad mind and spirit deeply impressed Yosuke!

"Call!"

Yosuke breathed a long sigh of relief and said with relief, "If it's done this way, we're supposed to be acting separately, but we'll actually meet every few days to exchange information, so we can still be considered to be adventuring together... That's great. If I were on my own, I don't know when I would have been able to go home."

"Yes, there's not much difference compared to before. You now have enough strength and experience to face this cruel world, so there's no need to feel uneasy about it."

Iori thought for a moment and said, "Compared to the technologically advanced 21st century, ordinary people in this New World have a harder time accessing good medical resources. When you find a way home, leave the Snake Staff behind before you leave, and see if you can find it a new owner."

"Iori, you're such a good person!"

Yosuke smiled with relief, reaching out to wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes. "Being able to make friends with you is the luckiest thing in my life. I hope our friendship will shine forever, like Star Stone."

Iori: "..."

Yosuke said he would cherish this friendship, Iori thought so too... That's why she had to separate from him quickly before she could have any murderous intent towards him!

Being eccentric, lacking common sense, absent-minded, and naturally ditzy—these attributes would certainly be great on a pretty girl, but from any angle, Yosuke Isashizaki is a guy who makes you clench your fists!

Iori could no longer tolerate certain things and decided to "let him go"... As for his relationship with the Appraiser Miss, let it be!

Besides being unbearably lacking in emotional intelligence, there is another extremely negative impact on Iori: